Bougainvilles’ Pro-Independence group loyal to Bougainville secessionist leader, late Francis Ona have finally agreed to destroy their weapons.
The disposal of weapons has been set for November 15 .
The commitment by the Mekamui Faction – renegade group who is not a signatory to the Bougainville Peace Accord, is seen as a positive achievement towards preparing the people of Bougainville to take part in the crucial referendum set for Jun 15, 2019.
Former combatants and community leaders during the Central Bougainville Regional Parliamentary Committee Conference held at the Arawa Sharp Memorial Youth Centre from the October 15 to 16 have agreed to a number of resolutions aimed at making Central Bougainville free of weapons and referendum ready.
The resolutions passed at the conference were:
– Weapons of war used by Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) in the Bougainville conflict of 1989 were disposed under the initial UN supervised weapons disposal plan;
– Other categories of weapons still being held by individuals shall be dealt with as a law and order matter in Central Bougainville;
– Weapons to be destroyed in accordance with the Mekamui weapons disposal plan 2018 and set for November 15;
– Monumentation of weapons of war at Ioro Constituency;
– Call on other ex-combatants holding weapons to join the Mekamui weapon peace initiatives;
– Call on Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) and United Nation (UN) to support the Mekamui Weapon Disposal Plan;
– All major stakeholders to conduct weapons disposal awareness and weapons collection exercise in all the wards using the community weapons disposal status report checklist;
– A commitment to deal with any category of weapons as law and order matters beyond January 1, 2019 when all the eight constituencies in Central Bougainville had been declared referendum ready;
– Call for ABG to come up with a guns control policy; and
– ABG and National Government to review the future status of pardon and amnesty for former combatants.
The resolutions were signed by representatives of Mekamui Factional leaders and community leaders in Central Bougainville.